Things Amidst 300 Years
by djmarinizela
Summary: Love knows no boundaries. All is going well in Burgess until Jack meets a girl named Prim. Who is this person and what relation does she have with Jamie? Set after the movie.
1. The Child of Winter Awoke

Note: My first try in FanFiction. A little spoiler, so they say. Jack had always been Jack ever since he became the spirit of winter, but I'd like to call him "Thomas" first when he was still human. I do not own Rise of the Guardians.

* * *

Jackson Thomas Burgess woke up, his brown eyes blinking in confusion, his brown hair ruffled from what he seemed was his bed. He last remembered his sister screaming for help in the middle of the frozen pond – a stick was in his hand which he used to pull her out of danger with all his might – but then he saw himself breaking through the ice beneath his feet. Apparently, he was forgetting something else. Where was he exactly at that moment?

He realized he wasn't in their little cottage after all. There was nobody in the surroundings, and this gave him a sense of fear. A tinge of burning sensation was stirring his insides and then radiating out of his skin. Words have failed him when a scream tried to escape from his lips but only a bubble came out of his mouth. And that was when he knew where he was.

He was under the pond.

The moonlight was shining in the dark of the night, but his vision was obscured by the thick ice separating him and the celestial orb. His frostbitten hands clawed the surface beneath the frozen sheet, but his case was hopeless. A few more minutes and he would have been out of breath. He stopped struggling and waited for his eminent death, a death that would bite him so suddenly he wouldn't realize it's done.

But it did not come.

The glow of the moonlight got brighter and brighter until he was blinded by the sudden beam of moonlight that struck him, breaking the ice that was between them. It was a spark of hope that might have warmed his very soul. But he couldn't move anymore; his whole body had frozen to death.

He didn't see that a man that seemed as ageless as time was walking towards him. This particular man had a strange glow that was enveloping his whole figure, as if he had just come out of the moon, and he did, for in fact this was the Man in the Moon. He spoke with such reverence and wisdom that Jack could only faintly hear the echo in the old man's voice.

"Wake up, my child, for you are chosen to become the Winter Spirit."

Thomas' body, his villager's clothes and all, was encapsulated by an unusual harsh breeze of the winter. His hair had turned white like the snowflakes that draped on his skin, and his eyes had opened, revealing a pair of icy blue orbs. He was alive once again, not knowing how it had exactly happened, but not caring anymore. All he knew was that he had another chance of life, his name tasting so good in his lips, as it had been given to him by the good old Man.

He breathed life once again as he was lifted out, away from the place where he died and was reborn. Jack Frost does not have a past at that moment, but he has a future that he needs to make.


	2. The Old Village of the Winter Spirit

The seventeen-year old boy was left all to himself. Jack Frost had no idea what he was going to do in that particular moment; he was nothing, save for his shivering appearance in his rather drenched clothes. He stared at reflection in the water that was gathered from the melting ice at his feet – he had no idea how his hair had changed to white and why his eyes had turned icy blue. His mind snapped back to reality, despite being lost in his breathtaking image as Narcissus had done.

The villagers must have been looking for him everywhere. It probably must have been hours since he disappeared, and his sister had gone running to them, pleading for help to save him. But he did not know this anymore; in fact, he did not remember that he had a sister, nor that he belonged to a community – he did not even know that he had a family. There was no explanation left to the poor boy who has just gotten out of the pond.

The Man in the Moon was nowhere in sight, probably he went back to his refuge up in the moonlit sky. But before his departure, the good old Man had left Jack a worn-out coat which was made by his mother for him to save him from the cold and a long stick that was now lying on the ground. Jack swept the coat behind his shoulders and picked up the staff in his freezing hands. While he was wondering what he was supposed to do with it, the staff suddenly glowed, shooting a sort-of beam that seemed to create fern-like patterns on the ground. He covered his face with his arm, thinking that the thing that came out was dangerous, but it did not even hurt him one bit. In fact, it gave him a sense of warmth and protection that he was invulnerable with the icy patterns on the ground. Jack though for a moment, remembering what the Man had said, "From this moment on, you are now Jackson Overland Frost."

'Frost, huh?' He thought to himself.

A gust of winter wind swept past him, and as it did, Jack felt light as a feather. He realized that the wind could carry him, defying gravity which he thought was impossible before, and with this sudden realization that was both frightening and exciting, he climbed the nearest tree he could find. He leaned forward and with the farthest sight his eyes could reach, he saw the merry lights of a nearby village made of log cabins.

He wanted to see it nearer so he decided to come to the village, running across the ice like a kid who has received the best Christmas present ever (not that it was Christmas). He noticed that there were lights in every home and the smell of roasted turkey filled the snowy air. He wanted to barge into someone's house but he figured out that it would have been impolite and so he restrained himself from doing so. He needed someone he can ask for help and the cottage with the most number of people, basing from the voices, was his best bet.

Upon entering the village pub, he went to the nearest group of elders he could find and mustered his courage to talk to them. He walked towards them, preparing his words, "Excuse me, Sir, but do you know-"

He stopped in mid-sentence as the man's voice cut through.

"Hey, Johnny, my boy! Good to see you here!" The brusque man was looking at Jack, but he knew it wasn't him he was talking to. The very moment he looked back to see the person behind him, he was enthralled by what had happened: a man had just walked literally _through_ him! He tried to grab the man but his hand passed through where he was standing a few seconds ago. Jack forced a yell from the top of his lungs but nobody had even noticed. "Hello? Hello!" He kept on calling, but it was hopeless. Nobody cared. Nobody knew he was there.

Just that moment, a girl of around six had entered the pub, her frantic eyes looking for an elderly who would come to her aid. It was his sister (which he did not know) who had been crying, but his heart was already broken from his realizations and he did not need to listen to the girl's pleading anymore. As he left, the girl was telling the tale of her brother who fell into the frozen pond.

"Please, Sir, please, Ma'am, my brother's going to die…"

He wasn't able to hear it among the loud clunking of beers together and the wailing of his own heart.

Outside the village, Jack knew his life would be one lonely surpassing of the years to come. He was already a mere ghost just as the old man had said. Despite being the spirit of winter, he would have to spend all his time making snow everywhere, not that it wouldn't be a fun idea, but the fact that he would be invisible for the rest of his life was too depressing.


	3. What Comes Next?

Note: The story follows after the movie, tweaking the revelation of Jack's past a little bit. And a little warning for you, there are spoilers ahead! For updates, ask me via Tumblr and/or WordPress, username is djmarinizela.

* * *

"Jack, are you sure you want this?" Tooth, the Queen of the Tooth Fairies and the Guardian of Memories, imposed a sudden concern for him, not that she was always worried, but she wanted to make sure Jack knew what he was doing, especially when the topic involved teeth, be it in a comical, romantic or dead serious situation.

"There's nothing else I want more than to remember who I was, Tooth."

That was Jack's final decision and Tooth knew nothing could change that for he was a stubborn boy who followed his own ways. With a sigh of defeat, Tooth brought him to her palace. She led him outside the garden where a huge mural of Tooth receiving the children's baby teeth gazed down upon them. She opened a secret passage and drawers of all shapes and sizes emerged from the wall. She ran her tiny fingers across them until she finally took out one, revealed a small container, and held it out for Jack to see.

Jack was astounded with the small box that Tooth had in her hands. It looked more like a cylinder, in fact, with an intricate design of gold patterns weaving across the surface. On the side was a drawing of a child with brown hair and blue eyes. It resembled Jack and it struck him.

"This… is me?"  
"_Was._"  
"Oh, right. And you're sure this holds my past?"  
"I'm not the Guardian of Memories for nothing, Jack."

She looked at him with utmost seriousness but said nothing else.

Tooth took him inside a large glass cage and told him to close his eyes. Before he could ask what for, Jack fell into a state of drowsiness and soon after, he was asleep. He was having a dream, as commanded by Tooth using the box of Jack's baby teeth. At first, he thought he was back in the modern town of Burgess where he spent hours looking at the statue of the founder of the town but he realized the statues had come to life. He saw his family, his young mother who was in the clothes of a Puritan and his father, Thaddeus Burgess, who built the first log cabin in Colonial America. He turned his eyes towards his seven-year old sister, her hair in braids, grasping her mother's skirt and looking at Jack with fear.

"…Lily?" He called out to her, but she cowered away from him.

He wondered why, but as he sought to think of an answer, his dream shifted to the freezing pond on the night he discovered his powers. His sister was in the middle, the ice cracking beneath her, her wails getting louder and louder.

"Shh, don't move, Lily, I'll get you out there in no time." Jack turned around and saw a younger him, his hair still brown and his eyes like that of chocolate. He went looking for a stick long enough to pull her sister out of the breaking ice despite his shivering figure. When he found one, he went back to her and with all his might, catapulted her sister back into the snowy ground where she was safe. And that was when the ice cracked beneath him. Jack heard the last words from his mouth, "No!", and after that, nothing. He knew he was dead that time.

He was still sobbing like a little boy when Tooth woke him up, her tight embrace reassuring him that everything was going to be fine. He had just learned bits of his past: his mother had died of tuberculosis a few months before he died, leaving his father a complete drunkard despite being the founder of the village until his death of old age. Her sister lived and had a family which continued their generation, but nobody listened to her story how her brother had disappeared under the pond for they found no dead body where she said should have been.

"All my memories… they've been here for so long, and I never even knew." He wanted this and he had no one he could blame. He didn't know what to feel, for he was heartbroken and yet free from the longing of knowing his past.

Jack didn't need to hear from Tooth that indeed it was painful, all memories he has lost rushing back to like a great tidal wave, engulfing him and his entire being. He didn't want to feel weak, and moreover, he didn't want to fear, because it would be the last thing he would want, knowing that Pitch dwelled on people's fear for his own power.

"You're stronger than you are, Jack," Tooth soothed him by stroking his hair and cradling him to her chest.

Jack thought about it and soon after, he contemplated if he really were strong enough to handle all of this. Indeed he was.

* * *

They say eye colors can change throughout childhood. One can start with a different color on his birth and then change into another color afterwards as he ages. I assumed this is true in Jack's case, where his eyes shifted from blue to brown (and back to blue when he became the Winter Spirit).


	4. That's the Spirit!

Note: If indeed Jack's father founded the town of Burgess, Pennsylvania, this makes Jack Jamie's 300th great grandfather or something like a cousin 300 times removed.

And this is where you meet my own made character, Prim.

* * *

It has been 300 years since Jack had talked to someone and now that he's one of the Guardians appointed by North (he says it was the Man in the Moon who chose him), he's really thankful that the Yetis threw him into a sack and sent him whirring through a portal to the North Pole. But of course, he lives up to his position, as the Guardian of Fun, which means he still comes to his old town every now and then, where Jamie and Sophie, the two children he had come to love due to the recent events with Pitch, stood waiting for him outside their school so that they could walk home together.

It was Jamie, his best (mortal) buddy who tugged on his blue-frosted hoodie one day and said, "Jack! How come you never age?"

He gave his best smirk, that killer smile that sent Tooth and her mini-fairies swooning all day at him. "That's because I'm immortal, silly."

"Then what's your age by now, since you stopped aging?"

Jack thought about the unusual question, his thoughts returning to the night he drowned. Jamie was a kid, and he yearned for curiosity of knowing more, but Jack merely shrugged it off as a non-serious matter.

"I'm supposed to be 18 by now, I guess," he estimated wistfully, wondering if he did his calculations correctly – it has been a really long time since he used what he learned in the early times – while subtracting 300 years from his age.

In the modern day, being 18 meant legality, but he knew this doesn't apply to him anymore. He could travel miles and miles without having anyone worry about him (except North and Bunnymund perhaps, who are like fathers to him). At the same time, he didn't mingle with people his age for he was the winter spirit and most teenagers don't believe in him at all. He'd rather spent his whole day having fun snow days with the younger ones.

As soon as they arrived at the house where Jack entered via Jamie's bedroom window, the two children, Sophie and Jamie, started for the fridge in order to smuggle some sweets and raced each other downstairs, with Jack telling them to be careful, despite Jamie's whining that Jack was usually the one who used to slid down the railings of the stairs.

Soon after, Jack was left alone in Jamie's bedroom, quite enjoying himself staring at the collections of books and toys within the four walls. He had memorized the position of almost every thing, despite the assortment of stuff. Sometimes he'd touched a book or two, leaving Jamie amazed on how the cover got all covered with frost.

He got bored hanging around the room after a few minutes, and seeing that Jamie hasn't returned yet, he wandered off inside the house. His eye caught the attention of another door outside Jamie's bedroom. He knew the house contained Jamie's parents and Sophie; he knew perfectly well where their rooms are, and he knew this was a different room. He peeked into it and saw that it was filled with books, the bed was neat, and there were girls' clothes in the closet. The clothes looked like they belong to a female teenager. Surely the clothes were larger for Sophie to wear, and Jamie's mother do not have such taste. He went back to Jamie's bedroom, trying to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. He saw Jamie eating a blueberry pie and playing with his toy airplane, his fingers leaving crusts all over the bed.

"Jamie, do you have another sibling, aside from Sophie…?"

Jamie was surprised by his question, nevertheless he found his answer immediately, "Yeah, I do, she's older than me, her name's Prim."

"How come I never saw her?"  
"She used to be in a boarding school but got home just this month. She tends to lock herself up all the time and – did you just go to her room?"

There was a look of apology in Jack's eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

Jamie's eyes widened with surprise. "Whoa! She never lets anyone in! What's her room like?"

Jack thought about it, trying hard to picture the room again, with all the feminine stuff inside. "Ah, ehrm, well… it's… pink."

"Have you seen her?"

"No, she wasn't there."

This startled Jamie, as if it was the first time he hadn't seen his sister. He got up from his bed and before running to his parents' bedroom, gave commands to the winter spirit. "Jack, when you see her, tell me. Mum told me she can't be left alone!" He sped off, leaving Jack wondering why would Jamie be frightened of his own sister getting lost, let alone that she was older than he is.

Nevertheless, he started his search for a person he hadn't seen ever in his whole life, but judging from the facts that she would have looked like Jamie as she was his sister and that the house wasn't as large as North's workshop, the search would be easy. After few minutes of rummaging every nook and cranny all over the house, he found her at last. Well, at least, he assumed that this was the girl they all have been looking for.

Jack spotted her attending to the rabbits (one of Jamie's numerous pets) in the backyard. And as he noticed, she did resemble Jamie – her long brown hair, her chocolate eyes, and her slender stature reminded him of his buddy. She looked about his age, wearing a woolen cap, a scarf around her neck, and a coat. But amidst her clothes and her physical appearance, she looked frail, her pallid face looking deathly sick. Her eyes were wavering, as if the lights were slowly extinguishing. As soon as she turned her head to where Jack was, she stifled a gasp, her eyes wide in shock, her gloved hands over her mouth.

She was staring straight at him.

He wondered for a split second whether he should believe his eyes or not, that apart from Jamie and Sophie, there was another mortal being who could see him, and it was their elder sister.

"You… can see me?" He left his mouth open.

She nodded, staggering back to where the rabbit cages were. Apparently she knew that this intruder wasn't normal – he gave an aura that he was a spirit, but she wasn't afraid, rather, she was shocked to see one in front of her very eyes. The girl composed herself before saying, "It's Jack Frost, isn't it?" Jack nodded at her. "Jamie was telling me something about the winter spirit… I thought he had gone crazy."

"You must be Prim then," he tried to smile at her. "You know, everyone in the house had been looking for you for half an hour; might as well tell them where you are."

She suddenly changed her tone, her eyes gazing down. "I don't care."

Jack was taken aback by her cold retort at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Why don't you go tell them yourself?" She turned her back on him, petting the rabbit that clung to her arms.

He never expected this. He thought that as Jamie's sister, the girl would radiate warmth and a cheerful attitude. He was thinking of something that would teach her some manners (a bit at least) so he gathered up some of the slush on the ground and formed a snowball in his hands.

"For being Jamie's sister, I figured out you wouldn't be this cold." In one lazy stroke of his hand, he flicked it at her, the snowball perfectly hitting her back as it stuck to her clothes.

She glared at him as he whistled and turned around to go back inside the house. "You!"

"I just think you should be a bit respectful to your own family, you know." Jack said coolly.

"What? Who do you think you are?"

"I'm Jack Frost. I've just told you that a while ago. Now will you lower your voice?"

"And why would I do that?" She was raising her voice even higher.

"Because people will think you're mad, talking to no one."

He was right. This angered the girl who was left with snow clinging to her clothes. Prim wouldn't let go without a fight, at least not until she had her revenge. Beneath her sickly-looking figure was a feisty attitude that she had acquired all these years in her boarding school.

She gathered a pile of snow and formed it into a snowball just as Jack had done. But instead of aiming it at him (she thought he would have dodged it perfectly), she threw it up to the heavy tree branch which shook and landed snow on top of Jack's snow went tumbling and piling down on the snowy strands that he treasured highly.

Jack shook his head in disbelief as he tried to brush off all the snow in his hair. "Wha-?"

"Just something to get back on." She felt satisfied with her throw, a smug smile beaming in her face.


	5. Getting to Know

"Priiiiiim!"

Jamie came rushing down to the backyard. He froze in his tracks as his eyes moved from his sister to Jack then back to his sister, his mouth agape, his mind asking for an explanation. Jack was still brushing off the snow that fell unto his hair while Prim was putting the rabbits back in the cage.

"How- wha- who-" Jamie was also stumbling on the words that tried to form on the tip of his mouth. The best that the two teenagers could do was point at each other, their eyes glaring at one another, and this made Jamie curious even more. Jamie started on his sister, as he knew Jack would be staying in his bedroom to tell the rest of the story. "Prim! Why did you went missing? Didn't Mum ever tell you not to leave the house?"

Prim rolled her eyes as Jack scoffed at the young boy's sudden burst of misfits. "Oh please, Jamie, you're getting to sound like her." But she knew her little brother was worried for her, and the best she could do was storm back to the house, into her room, with the winter spirit and her brother sprinting behind her. They met their mother inside, her fears etched upon her face, but nevertheless she was relieved when she saw her daughter.

"She was in the backyard, Mum!" Jamie winked at Jack as he said this to their mother, a sign that he was thankful for the winter spirit's efforts. Their mother, though she was the one who told bedtime stories to Jamie and Sophie (and to Prim as well when she was younger), couldn't see Jack for her disbelief in such spirits that only lived in storybooks she read to her children. She thanked Jamie and kissed Prim, muttering how worried they all were, with Prim telling her that nothing happened to her at all.

Meanwhile, back in Jamie's bedroom, the ten-year old lad proceeded to bombard the eighteen-year old with a lot of questions, but Jack didn't want to answer them all. He still felt bad that a girl had outsmarted him. His pride as a Guardian of Fun and the Winter Spirit was hit by a single stone (or snowball, in this case).

"It's a good thing you found her, Jack."

"At such an expensive cost." He still thought that he shouldn't have offered to look for her at all.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." He saw Jamie's brows arched. "Just tell your sister she has a very good aim."

"Better than you?"

"Uh-huh. Unfortunately."

The winter spirit didn't see Jamie's sister that evening after his first meeting with her, but his mind raised questions that he wasn't sure whether his own buddy was keen on answering. He thought he'd wanted to hear the answers from the girl herself.

But the first task was befriending her. Or maybe that could wait some other time.

After he brought Jamie to school the next day (which meant he won't be seeing him for at least the whole morning), he was walking by himself when he saw Prim strolling down the park, her hands digging inside the pockets of her coat. He went to follow her, without appearing to stalk her in a very obvious manner.

She went inside a pet shop, he observed, and bought a pack of dog biscuits which was probably for Jamie's grayhound, Abby. She then visited a bookshop and after spending almost an hour looking for a book, she left with a paperbag warming in her hands. She admired the other merchandises on the other shops she passed by, not noticing the frost that was gathering on the panes.

Jack caught up to her, as she did not know for she was busy burying her nose in the book she just bought. He thought it was the perfect time to do another prank. He whispered in her ear in a low voice.

"Did you sneak out again?" She dropped her book in fright at the voice that suddenly whispered in her ear. Jack laughed, picked up the book and saw that it was smeared with snow on the pages. Prim painted a frown on her face so he brushed it off and, with his powers, absorbed the wetness off the pages with his fingers.

"You scared me."

"As always." He handed her back the book, now dry.

"I just wanted some fresh air for myself. Don't tell, Jamie, okay?"

Jack thought about it for a moment, but decided not to cross her. "Hmmm, okay…"

She didn't know whether she should believe him or not. But if he didn't keep his word, she knew she'd be making another snowball to throw at him.

Jack wanted to start a new conversation, but he was awkward as he never knew how to socialize with others, much more a girl.

"I guess we started on the wrong foot." He was giving his usual smile, but she could tell he was only toying around her. He twirled his hands around his arm, playing with it idly while walking with her.

She was getting irritated at his antics. "Why do you always have to bring that stick with you everywhere?"

"It's the one keeping my powers. But hey, don't change the topic. How come you never went to school?"

She stayed silent and kept walking. After a few minutes, she came with a response, "I did. Boarding school. I stopped last month, but don't ask."

"How come I don't see you in the house often?"

"As if you own the house."

"Well, Jamie showed me around one time."

"I'm always in my bedroom." She said it as a matter of fact.

'Teenagers nowadays,' Jack thought. 'I guess they'd rather have fun getting stuck inside their own room than being with the rest of the family.' He proceeded to give another try to talk to her, "Well, you can see me, as can Jamie and Sophie, so that means you believe in me."

"That's because I've always been wondering what the famous Jack Frost looks like."

"Me? Famous? I know I appeared in Christmas Carols, but I'm nowhere popular near North."

"North?"

"Your Santa Claus."

"Oh. I've always thought of Jack Frost as the typical snowman." He laughed at her remark, and upon seeing his expression, she laughed with him too, like they've been friends since forever. She thought ironic it was that the snowman she used to imagine was in fact just a boy around her age, beautiful like an angel, and yet highly sadistic with his pranks.

"Well, now at least you know I'm not your ordinary snowman." Prim laughed once again. How could she have known that the Jack Frost she's been hearing from her mother's bed time stories could be so charming?

"I'm sorry for the incident last time. I just felt like the people were invading my privacy in my house."

Jack noticed this change of tone in her voice. He smiled at her and said, "Nah, they just love you too much."

"Funny how people act, they tend to strangle the ones they love."

He seemed surprised by her sudden comment, but he didn't show it. "Um, friends then?"

She nodded happily as if she was ultimately glad to have the winter spirit for her friend.

They already reached her house when he remembered something. "Oh, and one last thing. Would you forgive me?"

She stopped laughing but her smile was still etched on her face. "For what?"

"For accidentally intruding in your room."

She kicked him jokingly, as he laughed once more, the snow suddenly falling around them as if they were in a movie where everything was perfect, and their happiness was all that mattered.


	6. Of Families, Friends, and Frost

Another fine snow day appeared in the town of Burgess and all the children knew it was the winter spirit's doing. Jack had decided to visit the friends he had come to love, which meant Jamie, Sophie and their sister, Prim. He had been there more often than not, much to the younger two's glee and to the surprise of the eldest. Most of the time he spent his time chatting with Jamie and playing outside with the other kids in the neighbor, but his eyes would always catch the vision of Prim looking through the windows inside their home.

As soon as Jack brought Sophie and Jamie inside the house after a rather exhausting, he rushed upstairs and knocked at Prim's bedroom door when Jamie placed a finger on his lips, telling Jack to stay quiet, and pointing at the dinner table downstairs. There was an unfamiliar face that was sitting in front of Prim at the dinner table.

The young girl, frail but nevertheless bright and happy, was clad in her usual wear of pants and shirt plus her favorite jacket for it was unexceptionally cold even inside the house. On the other hand, the woman in front of her was in her mid-20′s as Jack had observed. She had her hair tied up in a bun, and wore a pencil skirt and a nice blouse. The stranger was watching Prim and conversing with her every now and then.

As soon as the person left, Jack surprised Prim by covering her eyes but the icy touch of his hands gave him away. He saw that she was deeply buried in textbooks that were stacked beside her.

"Who was that?"

Prim started collecting her books and papers as Jack helped her out. "That's my teacher."

"How come she's not in school?" Even though Jack had never been to school (there were none during his time), he observed how things worked by following Jamie and his friends around town.

"Because I'm here, snowman."

"Why don't you want to go to school? Jamie said something about you being in boarding school a few months ago. Well, you've told me that, but I just want to know why." He laid his elbows on the table and made a pouting face at Prim. His snowy white hair fell below his eyes, revealing only his inquisitive smile. Prim had to refuse the urge to try peeking at the veiled blue orbs while he helped her carry her books back to her bedroom (which was fine since her parents were not in the house – it would have been weird to see a stack of books floating by the stairs).

"Why do you want to know about it?"

"I'm just curious."

His answer was simple and yet Prim felt that somehow the winter spirit could be trusted. He wasn't someone who would go babbling about it in the streets – not that a lot of people could see or hear him, except the kids in town who she thinks wouldn't care at all. She took a deep breath as she knew her greatest secret was to be uncovered.

"Because I'm… I'm… I'm being home schooled from this moment on. My parents want to keep a close eye on me. And I hate it. I hate it to the core that I can't attend school." She went twisting strands of her brown hair into knots, biting her lip at the last sentence.

Jack raised an eyebrow and Prim remained skeptic about it. It seemed that Jack didn't understand what it meant for her to be home schooled. But he was innocent; his lack of understanding made him honest of his feelings. She continued when she saw his face was contorting into more questions.

"I told you I'm sick. As in terribly sick. And… I might not last for long." She knew what the last sentence meant. She always had a hard time speaking about her death. But Jack didn't notice that at all. He was too busy admiring her, how her brown eyes complemented her overall beauty.

"Well that's too bad. You can't go see other friends like Jamie and Sophie always do."

She hung her head and mumbled, "Exactly." They have reached the door to her bedroom and Jack helped her stack her books back to their original shelves.

"So uh, just to change the topic. Are these your favorite books?" He gestured at the ones he was holding a while ago.

"I love reading novels. Mum got me into a habit when I was a kid." She pointed her nose towards the set of children's storybooks stacked along the bookshelves. Of them contained the stories about the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus. His heart did not even waver that the possibility of his name not being mentioned at all was extremely high. He had a feeling Sandy wasn't among the stories too.

Jack told her a bit about his past, or at least of what he knew: his parents, his sister, his death. Prim listened intently, asking a few questions and respecting whatever else Jack had to say. Jack didn't want to give a heavy atmosphere between them so he tried to think of something else when he looked out of the window and saw Jamie and Sophie having a snowball fight outside.

"Enough with these sad things. We need to focus on the now! What do you say with a snow fight?" His eyebrow was arched, his lips twitching into a smile, his eyes glowing with excitement. Prim knew he wouldn't take a no for an answer, so she laughed all the way as he pulled her outside and threw the first snowball at Jamie who fought back with a larger bunch.

"Jack! That's not fair!" Jamie aimed another snowball at the Guardian of Fun but missed.

"Try harder, little buddy!" Jack stuck out his tongue at him while Prim giggled and hit a snowball at Jack's face. It was completely unexpected and it made Jack give his sly smile at her. He threw back a bigger pile of snow to her.

"Gotcha!"

They spent quite a grand time of playing against each other with Jack on the winning side, throwing wild snowballs in every direction, hitting all of his opponents straight in the face. Everything was going well (and fun) when they noticed Prim had stopped in the middle game.

She became ultra pale, her eyes flickered into white, and then suddenly fell into a heap of snow unconsciously.

The last thing Prim remembered was Jack's voice shouting her name, and then, nothing.


	7. No More Snow Day

Sophie started wailing after seeing her sister unconscious on the heap of snow, while Jamie tried to take action by calling anyone within the area for help, and as for Jack, well, ironic as it was, the oldest among the three couldn't do anything for he was invisible. The best he could do was try to revive the girl that lay on the frosty ground. As he shook her, he felt a surge of anger inside of him that the situation was helpless and the only thing possible was to leave it to the mortals.

Prim was rushed immediately to the hospital by the neighbors. They called their parents and since they were at work, they promised to come as fast as they could. Jack sat in between Jamie and Sophie at the visitors' area; he was trying to comfort the two kids as much as possible, even though he didn't know what happened to their sister. But he hoped, harder than the times he wished the other children could see him, that Prim would be alright.

Just then, a woman who happened to be Jamie, Sophie and Prim's mother came bustling into the room, followed by a doctor who seemed agitated with the woman's sense of motherhood. She looked in one glance at her two children, not even bothering why there's a seat in between them (for Jack was there) because she was more concerned for her eldest.

"Is it hypothermia? Please, please, don't let it be!" Her mother's cries echoed in the hospital ward. She was dabbing her eyes with tissue, her fingers wringing themselves together. She looked at the doctor with utmost apprehension.

The doctor checked his flipboard to verify his facts. "No, Madame, she just fainted from mere exhaustion. She must have had a tiring day."

That seemed to relieve her, as she murmured words of thanks and immediately asked to see her daughter. But before that, she followed up with another set of talking as the father walked in the hall. He already knew what had happened and went up to his wife to lock her in embrace.

"I told you she can't be tired too much! I don't want her condition to get even worse!"

Their father didn't know what to respond to his wife at all. It was a good thing he was more composed, even though the creases in his forehead signified that he was also worried for his daughter. He turned to the two kids, embraced them as well as they reached out to him and said, "What did your sister do after her studies?"

"She, um, we played outside… just a snow fight." Jamie's eyes turned from his father to his mother to Jack, scared of being apprehended. Jack smiled at him – at least Jamie was honest even though he was scared of being involved in Prim's sudden knockout.

"A snow fight! Great goodness – "

"The kids don't know, Hon. We need to take precaution for Prim next time. We can't let her outside the grounds anymore, especially when it's snowing."

"What?" The two kids started.

Jack's thoughts were drowned with Jamie and Sophie's "awwwww", but his heart sank. He felt saddened. That meant Prim cannot go outside to play with snow anymore, and moreover, it meant he might not be able to touch her as well. He was the Guardian of Fun, but when children get into trouble of too much exuberance, he knew it best not to interfere anymore.

That night, Sophie and Jamie were allowed to visit their sister as their parents bought food and medicine in the nearby convenience store. Of course, Jack was with the children. When they entered the room where Prim was placed, they noticed it was dull and quiet; the soiled bed sheets where Prim lay were grayed by the numerous patients who had been there before her. She seemed to be sleeping, and Jack noticed that she was really pretty as the moonlight shone on her face. She had this habit of breathing through her mouth, as it was shaped like an O.

Jamie and Sophie leaned towards the bed, while Jack sat in a chair while holding Prim's hand. He kneaded his eyebrows together, for fear that tears might fall out, but he knew he had to stay strong for the two other children. That was when he remembered he had to say goodbye to the kids for he wanted to stay at the North Pole to contemplate on his previous experiences.

"Jamie," he tried to start his words as he Jamie turned to him. "I think I need to leave you guys for a while."

"Oh, that's okay, I can take care of Prim until you get back – "

"No, as in, I can't come back."

"But, why, Jack? You can't leave! Prim hasn't even woken up!"

"I can't stay. It's because of me that Prim's here. I brought her outside. I asked her to play with us. I even hit her on the head with a snowball and – "

"Jack. Nobody's blaming you." It wasn't Jamie's voice. Jack turned around and saw Prim, her eyes open, her face in benevolence as if she had woken up like Sleeping Beauty. Jack wanted to protest but she continued to speak, "Please stay. I don't want to be alone anymore. Now with my parents grounding me forever, I don't want to be locked up inside the house." Tears were forming in her eyes, and Jack didn't want that; he swept away the teardrops with his thumb. He stroked her smooth face as he thought of what to answer.

"You heard your parents, Prim. You need to rest for a while. And I don't want to get in the way."

"No, Jack. I'd be more bothered if you wouldn't be by my side anymore."

"You're sick! You wouldn't be here in the hospital if we weren't for me in the first place!" He didn't want to raise his voice but there was no point he was going to win in this conversation with her. Girls are too insisting.

"That's not your fault. I was having fun way too much and I just kinda exhausted myself. Besides, I'll be discharged out of the hospital by tomorrow. It's not that bad."

"It is."

Prim sat up, and stared at Jack with complete annoyance. "Jeez! Why do you sound like an old wise man!" – Jack scoffed – "And don't look at me like that! I'm not anywhere close to… dying." Her last word wasn't as strong as the rest of the sentence. A wave of uncertainty spread all over her face but she didn't want to give up convincing Jack, her only friend who has ever stayed with her, not to leave like the rest.

"Please, Jack. Don't do this."

He couldn't say no to her and he didn't understand why. Was he developing romantic feelings for her? He hasn't understood that kind of love before; it was always love for his friends and for his family. But he understood the feeling of being alone – it was 300 years of isolation for him – and he knew how extremely painful that was. He didn't want Prim to experience the same way as he did. He held out her hand and kissed it in the pale moonlight, not even caring that Jamie and Sophie were watching him. He knew his answer already; he had changed his mind for her and only for her.

"I won't, Prim. I promise."

She smiled at him as if she had never been this better before.

A few minutes later, their parents came with dinner for the children and medicine for Prim. They ate together inside her room, the nurse telling them to stay quiet as they tuned in to children's favorite cartoon show through the hospital's TV. They laughed their heartaches away through the night while Jack stood leaning on the wall his arms crossed, his smile warming his heart at the beautiful scene before him. It was the family's togetherness that made him feel at home. Every now and then, Prim and Jamie winked at him, giving him a thumbs up, until the parents announced that Jamie and Sophie had to leave already for Prim to rest, their father driving them home. The two children kissed their sister goodbye, while their mother stayed behind to guard Prim (with her protesting that she's nearly seventeen and doesn't need a guardian, to which Jack had the sudden urge to laugh).

He wanted to stay up with Prim as well, but she motioned him to go with her siblings, for she knew she'd be home by tomorrow. With a little bit of hesitation, he gave in to her request. Jack nodded and waved his hand at her before jumping outside the hospital's window, filling the room with a gentle breeze of evening wind – his good night for Prim.


	8. Best Buddies Forever

Warning: some sort of spoilers ahead from the movie.

* * *

The winter spirit had kept his promise to Prim. They had gotten closer than ever to each other over the past month, with Jack visiting her more often and spending more time with her than his buddy. He had grown fond of her, with her smile and her laughter that resembled the soft chiming of bells. There was something spreading inside his body like wildfire, but he did not care – he let it get deeper into himself even more.

However, despite his increasing affection for Prim, he did not notice the detachment from Jamie growing wider and wider with each passing day. He had stopped bringing Jamie to school because he had diverted his attention to Prim at home, leaving the young boy to walk home by himself and without his buddy. Jamie even tried to invite him to play outside with the other children in the neighborhood one time. He told him he'd come down soon after talking to Prim, but he had completely forgotten until he found Jamie sulking when he came inside the house. He promised himself he'd make up for Jamie the next day.

When he went to him in the morning, he walked up to the young kid, patted his brown hair and said, "Hey there bud, how does sledding seem to you today?" He twirled his staff around his arm, but Jamie didn't even look at it, which was quite bizarre since he had always anticipated Jack's tricks under his sleeve.

"Why don't you go to her, Jack? You seem to have more fun whenever you're with her."

"Her? Who-" Prim's angelic face flashed in Jack's mind and his face turned crimson immediately. "How did you-? You're not jealous of me going to Prim more often, are you? Jamie, hey, hey, wait up!" Jamie turned his back to him and stormed to his bedroom. "Jamie!"

He had reached the bed and saw Jamie looking rather sad. He then sat beside him, their eyes both downcast, Jack both in embarrassment and in apology. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I should have known you needed my attention too."

"You like her, Jack." Jamie said this as a statement, not as a question. The child of winter felt his heart stop. He looked at the little boy beside him with his mouth wide open. He did not know what to tell Jamie of his feelings, or if he knew, he did not know how to start it. Moreover, he did not want to appear lovesick to Jamie, because he might look like a fool to him. He was reasoning with himself whether a ten-year old would understand what he's feeling, but he trusted this kid who believed in him for the very first time in 300 years, and for some reason, he knew that Jamie would appreciate it that he can be truthfully honest with him.

"Well, maybe, I guess I do."

There was a look of curiosity in Jamie's face. "How does it feel? To be in love?"

"I don't know. I've never felt it before. I guess it's like… making snow angels." He heard a snicker from the little boy. Jack wanted to punch himself for such a stupid and childish analogy and yet he decided to go on. "Yeah. Snow angels. You don't really understand what you're doing, but you do it anyway, because you want to do it and you just feel happy. And when you look back at what you've done, you'd feel glad you did it after all."

"Ohhh. So it's like, ice cream then?" Jack raised an eyebrow at him but he let Jamie continue. "They say it's the perfect replacement for happiness because money can't buy it, but you can buy ice cream." Jamie was cradling himself in his bed, his hands over his crossed legs.

"Hmmm, I guess. And when you share your ice cream to someone else, then the two of you will become absolutely happy!" Jack was completely sure he was reaching no point at all, but that's how it was, since he didn't know how to put up with his feelings anyway.

"Wow. So that's love." Jamie didn't know what to say anymore and an awkward silence surrounded him and Jack. Maybe topics like these shouldn't reach the ears of ten-year old children. They'd be better with fairy tales and legends. Jack needed to break the tension of nothingness.

"Yeah, maybe it is. But enough of that. Come here you!" He grabbed a pillow and slammed it to the kid's face. A pillow fight erupted in Jamie's bed, with Jamie laughing and laughing until his stomach hurt. They ended up cuddling together as if they were brothers in real life.

"You're still my best friend, Jamie. You know that." This was very promising, Jack knew, as it lit up a smile in Jamie. The little boy still wanted to hear more stories (anything he said, from Jack's love life to bedtime stories), but Jack had already exhausted his mind in making that weird analogy about love.

He then ended up telling Jamie about his past, almost the same way as he had told Prim, but in order to compensate for his sudden rift from his best friend, he added something else.

"Hey, do you know my real name before I became what I am now?"

Jamie giggled then shook his head. He was amazed to know that Jack had a different name before, 300 years to be exact. "What?"

"Jackson Thomas Burgess."

Jamie repeated it, slowly, trying to catch every syllable of it. He liked the sound of Jack's human name, but then something else clicked in his brain. "Burgess… Burgess…" He gasped when he finally understood what Jack wanted him to know. "You're related to Thaddeus Burgess? He's the founder of our town! I read that in the statue near the park!"

"Well, yeah. He's my father after all."

Jamie's eyes widened, like the very first time Jack filled his room with snow.

"Then that means, the statues there… they are your family! And that little boy there, that was you!" Jamie pieced all the little parts of the puzzle together. He loved the idea of Jack's rich historical relationship with their town.

"Bingo. You're getting too smart for your age." Jack crossed his legs together as well, while Jamie started bouncing up and down the bed, wanting to commence another pillow fight, but then his mother came and told him to go to sleep.

Jack nudged the ten-year old when he wouldn't budge. "Get some rest, Jamie." He fixed his bed and brought out the blanket with stars designed on it. Jamie climbed into his bed after putting on his pajamas and wished Jack a goodnight before yawning one last time.

He smiled lovingly at the little boy who closed his eyes as he drifted off to the world of dreams. "Sleep tight, little buddy."


	9. Dreamsand with Cold Evenings

This one's quite short, but I still hope you like it! :)

* * *

Jack had been reflecting on his own true feelings. His relationships with the other guardians, with the children of the town, with his best-bud Jamie, and of course, Prim, were all going well. But he needed someone to confide in, apart from a ten-year old, his emotions that were tumbling inside him like great waves. He needed someone who would understand him and what he's been feeling recently.

Among the North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunnymund, the Sandman was the one best at giving advices. Jack has been planning to ask him whether he should confess to Prim or not, as he hadn't been sleeping for days just thinking about it (not that he needed sleep – North made sure he rests like a normal teenager), but he was scared whether Sandy should be laughing at his childishness or be angry for his feelings that seemed to be romantic. He knew nothing would start and nothing would end if he didn't come to terms with his own emotions; he was determined to straighten things out.

He saw the Sandman one night, appearing in town and casting his dreamsand everywhere to guide the children to his world: the world of dreams. Jack slowly walked to him and as soon as he had taken a deep breath, he asked him, "Sandy, can I ask you something? Can you, uh, see the dreams of teenagers as well?"

The Sandman looked at him and created several images as he had never talked, and fortunately, Jack was better at guessing these charades than North. He read Sandy's reply that was hovering in the air.

"Uh, all children, including them? That's cool. I wonder what teenage girls dream at night." Sandy eyed him suspiciously and made a heart out of sand then pointed an arrow at Jack.

"Me? Uhm, in love? I don't know really, but, well, uhm," Jack stammered. He had never confessed his feelings to anyone at all. It felt like a weakness when others knew of his secrets. But this was Sandy, and that made all things different. "Would it be bad if I say… yes?"

Jack resembled a child caught stealing sweets. He was looking rather desperately at the small chubby man half his height, as if he were taller than him. Sandy made more images, and Jack tried to translate everything into words. When he got the message, he responded to him as he waited for it and at the same time, continued to work on with his dreamsand.

"Her name's Prim, the elder sister of Jamie. I was wondering if, uh, if…" Before he could finish his question, Sandy made a dreamsand image of a sickly-looking girl lying in bed. Jack didn't want to be reminded of Prim's condition. "Yeah, Sandy, I'm aware that she's sick. But I don't care. As long as I can make her happy and let her forget all the sadness, I'll be happy too."

Sandy smiled at Jack's answer as if he had hit a gold mine. He knew the Winter Spirit's heart was pure and innocent despite the numerous childhood pranks he had come up with. Apart from being the Guardian of Fun, he was a teenager after all, and teenagers always come across the idea of falling in love.

Jack's heart lightened – Sandy had indeed understood him. He had come to the right person all along. He proceeded with the rest of his questions, as he would gladly take any advice from the Sandman.

"Should I, should I tell her how I feel?" He turned red at the very idea of confessing to Prim. With a nod from Sandy, Jack thought of ways how to. He had never done this before. Maybe he had eyed a girl from their village when he was still human, but it never came to a point where he must stand for his feelings. He looked up at the Man in the Moon, hoping it would give him ideas, but the celestial orb only glowed in the dark of the night. "Any ideas, Sandy?"

Sandy was grinning more than ever; he resembled a cherubim to Jack. Sandy was absolutely adorable and Jack wanted nothing more than to thank him for all the help and advice he had given. He interpreted all the ideas hovering in the cloud of dreams: roses, chocolates, greeting cards, serenades, and what-nots. To Jack's dismay, nothing fit to his liking. He wanted something natural, something that didn't have to be extravagant and yet could still light up Prim's heart. Sandy broke his train of thoughts when an image of Jack appeared in the dreamsand.

"Uh, just be myself?" He wondered how he could exactly do that.

After a few minutes of pondering, an idea snapped into his brain. His signature smile appeared in his face once again. "Sandy… I think I'm going to need North's Christmas lights at his workshop." He lowered himself as he shared his the rest of his thoughts to the small man.

The Sandman clapped for Jack's amazing idea as if he were saying, "Leave them to me."

* * *

Watch out for the next (romantic) chapter!


	10. Turning Seventeen

Note: Prim's birthday is on December 5, a few days away from Jack's birthday (I shall assume it falls on December 21).

* * *

A birthday is considered special in a teenager's life and Prim's was no exception; she's turning seventeen today. Now that she's confined inside her house, she couldn't do much except wait for the gifts to come rushing in. At least she could leave her room and grab something from the fridge for something to munch on, but apart from that, her day was typically boring. Her siblings had to attend school and her parents had to work in the office, though they had promised her they'd eat dinner together. She finished her homeschooling within a few hours with her teacher giving her a set of pastels for her to use in her free time. A few minutes later, a mailman came with a parcel for her: it was a pack of letters from her friends in her former boarding school. It made her smile that they remember her and wished her good health, but they admitted that they couldn't visit her in town. She thought their greetings were enough, rather than receiving nothing at all from them.

Sophie had created a birthday card for her with a doodle of their family, much to Prim's delight. On the other hand, Jamie bought a snow globe for his sister so that she wouldn't have to miss out all the snow outside their house. She ended up hugging her siblings so as not to cry in front of them. When their parents came home, their mother had produced a novel that Prim was inclined to read but was unavailable in the book store everytime she looked for it, while their father bought her a watch which proved to be unnecessary since they have wall clocks at home and Prim never wanted to check the time because every tick of the watch meant that her death was imminent. They had a presumptuous dinner together, chatting and laughing in between cutting the fried chicken (Prim's favorite) and chewing it.

Prim knew her birthday wouldn't be complete if the person she most expected to come would have forgotten her special day. She even reminded him a week ago that she'd be turning seventeen soon. Could something have happened that the young man couldn't make it?

She waited in her bedroom as she tried to lull herself to sleep, but ended up being more awake. It was already time for Sandy's dreams to take effect in every children, but Prim didn't want to have her dreams tonight without seeing Jack. She had already given up all hope when she heard a familiar knocking on her window and caught a glimpse of his white snowy hair and blue orbs. She immediately sat up and fixed herself.

"Jack! You came!" As soon as she put on her shawl, she opened the window immediately as the winter spirit came in, his hand on his staff, and the other on what seemed to be his present for Prim. It was an ice sculpture of a rabbit. "For you." He smiled sheepishly, his eyes looking down for he didn't want to expect Prim's face beaming at such a small gift.

"Jack, it's wonderful! Did you make this?"

He nodded as he turned over his gift into Prim's palms. "I'm sorry I only came now. Had to fix some things and…" He wanted to tell her how hard it was to do the fur patterns on the rabbit because it kept on resembling Bunnymund but he didn't complete his sentence anymore. Jack felt himself being enveloped in Prim's arms. He embraced her as well, feeling that his cheeks were starting to burn. He turned his ear just in time to hear Prim say, "Thank you, Jack."

He remembered why he was there in the first place. He suddenly regained himself as he stood and announced to Prim, "Well, birthday girl, it still is your birthday, so let me make it up to you." He grinned once again as he pushed the window open and stepped his foot on the window sill, his hand extending to Prim.

The now-seventeen-year old girl was completely astounded at what Jack was suggesting. "You want me to come with you outside?" His face lit up.

"Oh, but Jack, I don't know if I'm supposed to." She knew that he had a knack of making pranks that could cause disaster most of the time.

"I made the snow stop for you, in case you might freeze to death. Besides, I'll bring you back in no time." He smiled at her reassuringly but Prim was still hesitant. She didn't want her mother to find her missing, and with the window open, she'd conclude she had ran away by jumping outside from the second floor of their house. That would break her mother's heart.

"Please, Prim? Trust me on this." Prim looked at him with faith. His words gave the effect he wanted to. Nodding, Prim reached out for him and climbed behind his back as he knelt down. From Jack's skinny physical appearance, Prim was sure she'd topple over him, but as she had lost weight ever since she became sick, she had been light as a feather.

"Hold tightly. This isn't your ordinary piggy back ride." And with that, he jumped out of the window and felt the air pressure behind them. Prim closed her eyes and clutched Jack's hoodie as tight as she could for she was afraid of falling to death (she'd rather die peacefully in bed, she thought) but the moment she opened her eyes, they were already in the skies. Jack was jumping from one building to another, his feet racing with the wind, his staff in his hand emitting frost in their tracks. Her legs clutched Jack's torso and her hands dangled in front of him, grabbing on to his clothing as if she were hanging on for dear life. The air was rushing behind them, as Jack gained his speed, running everywhere he could put his feet on, from the sidewalks to the rooftops to the frozen ponds (he was cautious when he ran through these) then to the grassy lands. Once in a while he'd jumped higher than the clouds, and both of them could see the stars watching them. Flying was a wonderful feeling, Prim had noticed. For a moment, it was as if she had gained some sort of freedom.

They had arrived at a hidden area behind the park where the trees where surrounding them and they could see the frozen lake at the bottom since they were on top of a hill. Prim saw that there were mats on a part of the area, as well as a picnic basket filled with food. Putting two and two together, she understood that Jack had set it out for her. "Now all we're missing are lights!"

"What lights?" Jack smirked as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Christmas lights flickered on the trees all around them.

Prim was impressed by his hardwork. She held her arm akimbo in front of Jack, her face skeptical. "Last I remember, you were the winter spirit, not the electricity man."

The winter spirit slightly grinned. "North helped me with the glowing stuff. I asked the Man in the Moon to give us enough moonlight tonight as well. Now this is what you call the real meeting by the moonlight." Jack knelt on the mats and started unpacking the food. "And this is what you call a midnight snack." Prim sat beside him to start on the food. They ate together the chocolate cake of which recipe Jack had learned from Bunnymund and sipped the orange juice Phil the Yeti had made for them. Once the plates were empty, Jack took out a music player he had borrowed from Jamie and pressed the play button (he had already learned his lesson when Jamie reprimanded him, "No Jack, that's the record button!"). Slow dance music filled the air as Jack pulled Prim up, gently held her in the waist as he placed her hands on his shoulders, and started to sway her to the rhythm.

"I didn't know you could dance, Jack."

"Tooth taught me, in exchange for helping her collect the children's teeth next week. Just a crash course to be exact." He grinned at her. Prim had to wonder how much effort Jack had put into all this just to make her birthday special. And to think she nearly got mad at him for not appearing during the day at all. Jack turned her around and caught her back in his arms again.

She felt entranced just by looking at Jack. He was as beautiful as an angel, and she feared she might be blushing in front of him so she kept her mind on other things. That was when she started to notice the moon glowing brighter as if signaling something, but only Jack caught the message: it was time to tell her the truth. "Prim?"

"Yes, Jack?"

'Here it goes.' He took a deep breath as he faced the moment he'd been waiting for. "I like you. I don't mind spending the rest of my life falling in love with you." He expected her to be taken aback by his words, but to his surprise, she calmly took it in.

"That's not fair. You're immortal. As for me, I don't even know how long I'll stay alive."

"Don't say that. You're not dying any sooner. Whatever happens, you have to make most of it. Let me take care of you. I promise I'd do my best."

Prim didn't come up with a response. Instead, she buried her face in Jack's shoulder. "I've always liked you, Jackson Overland Frost. Ever since the day we met, you had already caught my heart."

Jack never felt this happy ever before. It was far different from his analogies of making snow angels and Jamie's ice cream. The slow dance, the lights, the gleaming of the moon, and the setting were all perfect, too beautiful to be planned by a first-timer who had never fallen in love before. He managed to utter his words that bore the most meaning to him, "Be mine, Primrose Marie Bennett."

She looked at Jack and her brown eyes clashed with his blue ones. Jack could only ponder on the beauty of her face getting closer and closer to him, until he felt his lips caught hers. No one would have ever thought that the Winter Spirit could fall in love after 300 years of solitude in his life, even more, fall in love with a mortal girl. Everything became so blissful to Jack as he wanted to stay in that position, forever lost in oblivion.

After a few more seconds, Prim broke the connection. She smiled at him shyly, for she knew she was already his, and he was already hers. She knew that this was the time to fall in love, to make mistakes, to live life to the fullest, and she chose to be with Jack. It was already midnight when Jack offered to pack up already before Prim's parents would find out she's gone. He left everything neatly put away in the middle of the grassy area where the Yetis would get it for him as he carried Prim back to her house. He carried her unto his back once again and as he flew, he did it more slowly to savor the moment with Prim.

Once Prim's feet had touched her bedroom floor, Jack decided to say goodbye for the meantime.

"I had a good time, Jack. Thanks for everything."

"Me too, it was the best date ever."

"Now you sound like a mortal even more."

"You like that?"

"I prefer to brag that I am in love with the Guardian of Fun who hits kids with snowballs."

They exchanged their last words with each other before Prim closed the windows and Jack flew off to the North Pole to tell his experience to the other Guardians. It had been a wonderful night after all and as for Prim, it was the best birthday she could ever have.

When she went back to her bed, and as she stared into space, she wondered if it was just a dream Sandy made for her. When she woke up, she saw the ice sculpture of the rabbit on her table. It was enough proof for her that she didn't dream it up.

The Spirit of Winter had given his heart to her.

* * *

Inspired by "Fly Me to the Moon".


	11. With the Guardians

Jack arrived at the North Pole looking rather gleeful. His head was stuck in the clouds literally and figuratively. His thoughts keep on flashing back to the night he spent with Prim. Deep inside himself, he couldn't wait to see the Guardians and perhaps let them guess all the good news (for him, it is) he had come to share.

Truth was, he missed everyone, especially Phil, the Yeti he named who consistently barred him from the place before. It had been almost a month since he visited them because of Prim's condition. When he finally felt his feet on the oak floors of the North Pole, he skipped towards the big brown creature he knew so well, who welcomed him with a big smile. After giving him a high-five (he learned that from Jamie which in turn he taught to Phil), Jack asked him, "How's it going, Big Boy?" The Yeti let out a muffled heartwarming laugh, indicating a jolly atmosphere. Phil slammed Jack's back – or rather, tapped it with unintentional force – making Jack choke. "Hey, easy, pal." They created this unusual friendly connection with each other ever since the Guardians had defeated Pitch.

Speaking of the Guardians, they were all conversing with each other at North's Globe Room, where a colossal spherical map with dots indicating the children was in sight. As soon as Jack appeared in their view, North was the first one to notice the smug smile on his face. "There he is! Our lover boy!"

Jack raised a brow. "What?"

Bunny and Sandy raced towards him as they confronted him if the rumors were true about Jack being in love. He had a slight feeling that Sandy told them everything, but he wasn't in a condition to be angry with anyone at all.

"So, how did it go, Frostbite?" Bunny was his usual self today, but there was a glint of smile in his face. "How did your date went?"

"Date? Who said anything about a date?"

"Don't fool yourself, my boy! Everyone knows it already!"

"Everyone?" His eyes widened in disbelief. How could they have known? It was only Prim and he near the lake last night.

"Well of course, the Man in the Moon told us about it. Or rather, he gave us a scene of it through the magic stone. He didn't want to spoil the fun for you, so he kept quiet while watching the two lovebirds sat together in front of the Moon, or better, in front of him." North was being his jolly person that Jack was familiar with, and to complete that image, he let out a chuckle followed by a grumble in his big belly. "Whoops, must be the eggnog again!"

Sandy was ultimately happy for Jack. He congratulated him for a job well done by emitting sparks of sand on top of his head. He was proud of him, moreover, having followed all of his tips and advice he suggested a night ago.

Everyone was glad to see Jack in love as well. "It's a first time!" North added. They remembered that Jack was a teenager after all, despite his immortality, and teenagers tend to get romantic at this particular age. "He's a teenager, how could we have forgotten? He's bound to fall in love." They didn't mind at all that Jack was flushing at all their comments.

"So what's the next plan, mate?" Bunnymund asked him, his paws twirling a boomerang.

"What plan? There should be a next plan?" He was completely clueless with these things, but he was grateful the Guardians were being particularly helpful, one way or another.

"Of course, there should be! Love is in the air, Jack! You start hearing romantic songs wherever you go and you feel completely dazed and you imagine seeing your girl everywhere!"

Jack was bemused and at the same time embarrassed at their remarks. He was the youngest among the Guardians (in physical age) which explained why they were in all out support for him – except Tooth. He had just noticed that she was missing, and so did her mini-tooth fairies, including his favorite helper, Baby Tooth.

"So uh, where is Tooth?" He questioned them worriedly. They looked at each other, wondering who would answer for they didn't want to respond to his inquiry.

"Jack, it's better if you leave Tooth to her thoughts for a while."

"Why?"

"Well, she's a woman after all. And she has her instincts too. She thinks too much about you, if you know what I mean. Better keep that in mind."

He started to think about that North had said. He excused himself to leave the place and visit Tooth's palace. He knew he would find her there and indeed he was right. He found her attending to her mini-tooth fairies and supervising their job. He had always known that Tooth was the busiest among the Guardians, and he admired her determination and constant passion for her job.

He called out to her, "Tooth!"

"Oh, hello Jack." Tooth greeted him nonchalantly, clearly avoiding his eyes as she turned to go back to her work. "I'm a bit busy right now, haha, so…" She felt her voice crack.

"Have you heard of the news about me?" He wasn't so sure this was the best question to ask, but it was better than being strangled by the silence.

"Of you getting a girl? The others have talked about it at North's place nonstop!"

"Are you angry about that?"

"Silly, haha, of course not." She was still trying to keep her voice high, but failed miserably.

"Then why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"This! Avoiding me and casting your eyes somewhere else!"

"Oh, Jack. I'm just… worried… worried that you'd give your full attention to her all the time and not see us anymore."

Jack had the feeling that this conversation resembled that of the one he had with Jamie before.

"So you're jealous?"

She stopped to think about her answer. "In a way, yes. But don't get me wrong! I'm jealous because you might forget us. We're your family after all, Jack. We just don't want you abandoning your position for her."

Jack stared straight at her violet eyes, but only found her long lashes covering most of it for she continued to gaze down. "Tooth, you know I'd never do that. Look, I may not be as hardworking as you are, but I am enjoying being a Guardian, and I would never, ever, leave my position."

And finally, she turned her eyes to him in belief. "Promise?"

"I promise. You can ask Sandy to use his whip on me if I don't follow it."

She giggled, her smile flashing right back on her face as Jack had remembered it.

"So uh, where's Baby Tooth?"

"She's over there." She called for her and soon after, a small mini-fairy came whizzing towards Jack. She nibbled at his ear and cuddled herself to his frosted hoodie. "Hey, nice to see you again, little buddy."

Tooth was smiling at the adorable scene right before her. She contemplated that it's all for the best and Jack was right; he was the type who would keep his words. She's just a mother figure to him and her jealousy just sprang from her worries. That was all and nothing else.

"Let me meet her, Jack. I want to see her soon." She did want to meet the girl, to give her advice on how to cope with Jack's behavior and on how to take care of him.

"You mean, Prim? You could come with me if you want. She's the sister of Jamie and she believes in us as well."

Tooth beamed at him and so did Baby Tooth. It was rare for a teenager to see the Guardians, let alone believe in them. She knew this Prim would be friendly and they could quite get along with each other. She was expecting another start of a beautiful friendship and a stronger one with Jack.


	12. Immortality

Jack went back to the North Pole after having such a splendid time catching up with Tooth's stories and seeing Baby Tooth swoon over him once again. He literally had to spend all day listening to all the elder Guardians' love advices (Don't start the conversation with "How are you" all the time, don't back out in dates at the last minute, vary the gifts you have to give and other sorts), but he had the feeling he'd be using all those suggestions so that Prim wouldn't be bored at him – or so he thought.

North approached him when the laughter was getting softer and softer, thinking that it was the best time to interrupt the scene. "Jack, I need to have a word with you." His smile was fading, but Jack felt like it was supposed to end up with a grave face. The big man pointed his nose down the hallway, implying that Jack should follow him. It was obvious that he wanted to keep it private, as they left Bunnymund and Sandy talking about how Jack would take Prim to more romantic dates.

The Santa Claus led him inside his main workplace, his private space where he would design tons and tons of toys for Christmas. The Yetis kept on distracting him in other places and if by any chance they forgot to knock, he'd fumed at them. North sat on a chair behind the table, while Jack chose to stand up despite a chair offered to him by North. The Russian man placed his hands together on the table, his elbows supporting them, and started to speak in a soft voice. "Do you know her condition?"

Jack knew who he was particularly talking about.

"No, not at all. She said she's really, really sick, but she doesn't tell why. What about it?"

"She's dying, Jack."

"I know. She told me about it. But it doesn't make me love her any less."

North tried to smile, but there was pain in his heart. Jack didn't know how bad the situation could be.

"Jack, you have to remember that you're immortal. It's bad enough that you fell in love with a mortal, but a dying one?"

The winter spirit was starting to see where the conversation is leading. "Wait a minute, I thought you're the one who approved of this?"

"I do, I do. But I'm just telling you Jack. She might leave this world any minute."

"Well, flash news North. She's not." He was starting to feel his anger surmounting inside him, but he chose to hold on to it before it could get any worse. He'd protect Prim to the best of his abilities and he couldn't really fathom why North would be suggesting something that he wouldn't like.

"You can't control that. It's not in your power."

"Oh really? Watch me." He had enough of the conversation. As he turned around in proceeding to exit the room, North stopped him by blocking the doorway. He towered over Jack, but the young guardian wasn't going to cower in fright.

"We're your family, after all, Jack. We care a lot for you."

"Then you should know how I feel!"

"I know, but – "

"But what? You want me to leave her?"

"No, Jack. That's not what I'm trying to say. You have to take into consideration what would happen when she dies. What would we all feel? What would you feel? What would her family feel? What would Jamie feel?"

At the mention of Jamie's name, Jack's anger faltered. He understood what North was trying to say, and that he wouldn't be the only one who'd be heartbroken if Prim ever dies suddenly. She was a believer of the Guardians, and he knew it's their job to protect the children. But how to do that for a sickly one? North grabbed hold of his shoulders while he looked down, trying to avoid the gaze of the elder Guardian.

"She has a weak heart, Jack, which is why she can't be exhausted too much. Her parents are trying to look for a cure, but the best they can do is just slow it down." North was no doctor, and neither was Jack. They didn't know what other cures for the ailment would be available at that time.

"I'll…I'll prepare myself for the worse, then. But I'm not giving up on her." His words were final.

North was trying to think of other things to say, such as 'teenagers nowadays', but he assumed that Jack wouldn't budge from his decision. The best he could do was support the young lad and comfort him when the time comes he will most be needing it. He let go of him with a heavy sigh as Jack pushed the door open and banged the door close with all his might, leaving North to his thoughts.


	13. A Happy Birthday to Jack

Note: I assumed that Jack's birthday falls on December 21 which is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. Oh, and stick around for the special part at the bottom.

* * *

Because of his agreement, Jack had to bring Tooth to Prim's bedroom the next night and true enough, the two girls instantly liked each other. It was a rare case that Tooth had to go out in the open, but she treated this moment special. "No wonder you badly wanted to learn how to slow dance, Jack. You two are perfect!" The young couple blushed at her remark as her mini-fairies swooned over the lovebirds.

Soon after, Jack had errands to run for the other Guardians which is why he had to lessen his visit to Prim for a week. But the seventeen-year old girl made it an advantage to fully prepare for his birthday. There were only a few days left and she wanted her plan to be as beautiful as the one he had planned for her. After all, her boyfriend is the winter spirit. How _literally_ cool is that?

On her most awaited day (she seemed to be more excited about it than the birthday celebrant), he flew down on her window, which she opened with delight.

His cerulean eyes almost instantly met her brown ones. "Hey, what's up?"  
"What's up? It's your birthday, Jack! It's December 21!"  
"Gee, I don't really celebrate my birthday. I mean I'm 18, but it's been 300 years."  
"Whatever. Immortal or not, it's your birthday."  
Jack rolled his eyes. Just then, Jamie went dashing inside Prim's room.

"Jack! Happy, happy birthday!"  
"Not you too, Jamie!"  
"Oh yes, me too, Jack! Prim told me about it so I thought we should do something together today!" The little boy beamed at him.

Prim frowned at the little boy's statement. "What? But I have plans with him today as well!"

"Eh? Not fair! You have him to yourself 24/7!"  
"But I planned first!"  
"Who says? I have already planned to play with Jack today, birthday or not!" Her little brother would not give up without a fight. She knew he'd use a blackmail against her to get what he wants (he'd say he'd tell their parents she's in love, which probably is the last thing she'd want to happen).

"Ah, that's it! I'm never telling you stuff about Jack anymore." She whined in exasperation, her arms folded in her chest.

Jack didn't know whether to laugh at the squabbling of the two siblings. He had never been into a state of position where two people would be fighting with each other just to spend a day with him. He felt flattered deep inside, but he didn't like the idea of having to pick between his girlfriend and his best friend when they told him to choose who he'd prefer to go out with.

"Prim, I think Jamie deserves some time with me too." She looked at him incredulously but she had to oblige. It was his birthday anyway. Besides, her plan could wait until night.

"Oh all right. But be back by sundown. And come in through the door, not the window," she requested to him.

Before he could ask, Jamie had tugged his arm and lead him outside to play. "Come on, Jack! Let's go before she changes her mind!"

Because of Jamie's wonderful plan, they had lots of things to do for the whole day: sledding (with Jack floating above Jamie and guiding him down the steep slopes), ice skating, snowman making, and of course, their favorite snowball fights.

At the end of the day, Jack went to visit Prim's room as he had promised. She told him to come through the door and not through the window, which was odd because it had always been his entrance to sneak inside her room. He knocked quietly in the night and heard the shuffling of her feet. When she opened the door, she didn't let him in, but instead she was the one who went out, stepped behind Jack and placed her hands on his eyes. "Hey, what's with the cover?"

"It's a surprise." She gently pushed the door open with her hips and urged Jack to move forward.

By the pattern of his movements, he estimated that he was already in the middle of the room when he heard the clunk of the door being closed.

"Open your eyes, birthday boy." He felt her hands left his eyes and as he fluttered his eyelids open, what he saw amazed him.

There standing at the foot of Prim's bed was a huge canvas painting of a dolphin jumping out of the water. She knew dolphins were his favorite animals, as she had asked him a week ago what he used to dream about, to which he admitted hesitantly but he had to give in to her pleadings.

"Wow, Prim. I didn't know… I mean, I'm shocked… it's beautiful… really, for me?" He couldn't form his sentences as he was too busy looking at how breathtaking Prim's smile was.

"But that's not yet the best part." She took him near the windowsill and let the evening breeze sift through them. They sat there facing each other, the moonlight reflecting on the window panes.

She inhaled deeply as she prepared herself before she gave her final gift. Her voice erupted into a song that echoed in the dark. It was nearly Christmas and so she filled the air with carols. "_Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing on the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains_…" She knew her voice would reach the other rooms of the house, but it would only be taken for her late night singing. They've gotten use to her humming songs to herself and so the whole family did not mind.

She continued another song, "The First Noel", of which the song reminded Jack of his mother. She used to sing him to sleep before. He remembered her kissing him on the forehead every night, brushing away the tufts of his hair before doing so, then finally whispering to him once again… "Happy birthday, Jack." His mind snapped back to reality and saw that it was Prim who was in front of him, not his mother. It was only a matter of seconds before he registered all the things that happened awhile ago.

"Prim. Your voice… it's so angelic."

Her laughter resembled like bells chiming. "Finally, I have something to complement your beautiful face."

"How long have you been singing? And painting?" He had just only discovered her talents.

"I don't remember, really. I mean, I've been singing and painting every now and then when I have the time. I never took any formal lessons, and that's just it. Do you like it?"

"Of course, I do."

They were just looking at the moon, counting and naming all the stars and constellations in the sky. Jack enveloped Prim in his embrace as they leaned on the windowsill. A few more minutes passed and they grew tired of craning their necks to look up. Silence was filling the room but Prim broke it when she left his grasp, turned to look at his face gleaming in the moonlight, and asked him, "Will you be leaving already?"

He seemed to find his thoughts for a while. "Actually, I have a favor to ask. Can I sleep with you just for tonight?"

Her eyes widened but composed herself immediately. She hesitated. Had her gift had not been enough for him? She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but at the same time she wasn't so sure of making her decision for him. "Um, okay, but don't do any pranks."

"Of course I won't – "

"Jack, you know what I mean." He raised his eyebrow, his face questioning hers.

She sighed, wondering if Jack was just trying to get her to explain further. "I'm not like the kids of my age spending their nights getting laid. I value myself way too much."

It took a few seconds to get Jack to understand what she was talking about. Back in his time, the people didn't do such rash things (or maybe that was because he came from a Puritan village), but still, it was unusual for him to think of it that way.

"I won't do anything bad to you, you can trust me."

That seemed to put her heart at ease. "Lay down on the bed." She got up and prepared the bedsheets. He leaned his staff against the wall. Once he laid himself down on the comforts, she placed her head in his chest and covered them both with her blanket.

Jack toyed with the brown strands in her hair, inhaling her scent every now and then, intoxicating himself to the fullest. Her hands were clasped with his over her stomach and she'd giggle every time he'd tried to tickle her, slapping his icy hands once in a while. A few minutes of just being lost in their thoughts, they started to enter the world of dreams. Of course, Jack was looking forward to seeing the dolphins that Sandy made for him, while Prim was inclined to chase rabbits in her mind (but they never told each other because it seemed too childish even for themselves). It had been a long, long night.

Prim woke up by herself in the morning, the dents on her bed and pillows giving telltale signs that somebody had slept with her last night. On the floor was the familiar sight of a blue hoodie filled with frost. Jack. She gasped, her mind panicking for a while. They didn't do anything, did they?

She looked outside and saw him appearing at her open window. He greeted her happily, "Good morning!" She never saw what he wore inside his hoodie before: just a plain navy blue shirt, highlighting the tones of his muscles. Her face felt hot, but she didn't want to let him feel it. "G-g-goooood morning, Jack," she yawned, trying to stretch her arms sideways.

He smiled at her as he walked towards her to help her get out of the bed. When she sat up, she dug her hands on his shoulders and he lifted her up, his hands on her waist. She loved the feeling of being lifted up by him, for she felt taller than the Winter Spirit and it gave her enough motivation to start another day of her life. He twirled her around, like a baby being tossed by the father in the air (she wasn't that heavy, Jack admitted) and as soon as he felt his muscles getting tired, he put her down once again.

They laughed together as he ruffled her brown hair and greeted her, "Rise and shine."

* * *

(Note: Special part! A bit fluffier than the chapter itself.)

Prim was still admiring Jack's figure when she remembered what she was supposed to ask him. "Why did you leave your hoodie on the floor?"

"I – uh – it felt hot inside the room for a while last night." The Winter Spirit? Felt hot? The same thoughts ran across to Prim's mind. She had a slight feeling she doesn't want to know the real reason.

"You're lying." She was being skeptical, but she decided to drop the subject, not wanting to hear an answer anymore.

Jack had to pretend he wanted to laugh. He wasn't so sure he wanted to tell him what made him remove his hoodie last night, but whatever the reason was, he just wanted to forget it. Maybe he should avoid requesting another time to sleep with her once again.

Jamie intruded Prim's room without her permission and saw Jack ruffling his sister's hair. His eyes traveled from the two teenagers to the unkempt bed to Jack's hoodie on the floor. Prim and Jack broke apart from each other's grasp immediately; it was not fit for a boy to see such awkward unexplainable moments.

"YOU GUYS SLEPT WITH EACH OTHER?"

"JAMIE, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK?"

"You didn't answer my question!"

For a ten-year old, Jamie was quite sharp and intelligent, Jack thought. Prim started shoving her brother outside the room, muttering about incompetent ungrateful siblings and lack of privacy in her own bedroom. Before Jack could hear the door slammed against Jamie, he heard the little boy shout, "Mum told me to fetch you because you woke up rather late today. Breakfast's downstairs!"

When Prim turned back to him, he chuckled, "You gotta admit. Your brother's could be an official babysitter for you."

"Oh, please." She hit him in the face with a pillow.


	14. The Second Yuletide Season

The children in the little town had been buzzing with almost the same news emerging from their mouth: it's almost Christmas! North had been twice as busy, casting out everyone at his workshop trying to check up on everything – how complete were the train sets, how silky were the hair of the porcelain dolls, how loud do the make-believe drums sound, and even how tightly were the ribbons wrapped around. The Yetis had to double time to prepare all the gifts with all the elves meddling, believing that they have been perspiring twice as much as the dear big furry creatures are. But the more they tried to pace their time faster, the more they bumped into each other and caused a ruckus in the North Pole.

Jack had visited Bunnymund's empire and Tooth's palace to keep himself busy, but other than that he had nothing else to do except, well, prepare gifts for everyone. He wasn't North, he knew that, of course, but he wanted to give them gifts one way or another. It's his second Christmas to spend with them, the first was after the dark times when Pitch stole the children's teeth for their memories. But this time around, he had Jamie, Sophie and Prim to spend the evening with as well.

On Christmas eve, Prim had prepared a special song for her family, but she had invited Jack to hear her sing as well. She was in her best Christmas dress, filled with frills and fringes, complete with her long socks and black shoes, making her look like a doll that came to life. The whole family, including Jack who was just standing by the fireplace, gathered together in the living room where the gifts under the Christmas tree tempted the two little children. At the count of three, Prim started to sing her favorite Christmas carol ever since she was a kid.

"Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way. Don't you tell a single soul what I'm going to say.  
Christmas Eve is coming soon. Now you dear old man, whisper what you'll bring to me; tell me if you can…"

They applauded as soon as Prim had finished her performance. Soon after that, Jamie and Sophie proceeded to unwrap the packages of paper and strings. There were gifts for the two children and for Prim (she didn't expect it at all), and it made their hearts warmer to find a load of books, shoes, socks and toys unwrapped altogether by the end of the day. Prim gave gifts to everyone, including her parents and Jack as well. She spent her time locked up in her room making knitted sweaters of different colors this time. Jamie's had his favorite animal imprinted on his sweater, while Sophie loved the caricature designs that resembled Bunnymund's Easter eggs on her gift from her sister.

Prim went back to her room to fetch her gift for Jack even though he insisted that his birthday gift from her was already enough. "Oh, don't worry. I made it simple for you this time," she chuckled as she handed him a blue handkerchief with an image that looked like Jack embossed on one side. "I figured out you wouldn't use a hoodie since you loved your own very much, so this was my best shot."

Jack gave her his most heartwarming smile as a sign of thanks. He then shoved his hand into his pocket and fished something out that looked a necklace. "I've got something for you too." He held out a pendant of a snowflake that he made himself. It dangled on a silver chain that gleamed by the light of the moon. Prim was stunned by the intricate pattern of the snowflake and after admiring it, she turned around to let Jack put it around her neck. She touched the pendant that was now resting at the base of her chest and it felt smooth and delicate at the same time. Jack added to her thoughts, "Something to remind you of me whenever I'm not by your side."

The Guardian of Fun had to leave after that, but it didn't matter much, for Christmas was a time for family and he knew Prim should be eating meals with them by that time. He left the girl to have fun with her siblings and her parents, so bid her and Jamie (which he had given a frosty bunny pendant) goodbye before flying off to the North Pole to spend Christmas with the Guardians.

By the moment Jack opened the majestic oak doors to the North Pole, he was greeted by the elves having fun with themselves and the Yetis looking tired yet satisfied with all the work done. North had already come back from his sleigh ride. Jack wished he had come earlier to help him with the distribution of the gifts (and perhaps hold the reins of the reindeers for North), but he had remembered that he hadn't come to good terms with the Santa Claus yet and that he didn't want to regret hearing Prim sing.

North welcomed him back with a tight embrace as if he had forgotten the heated argument with him a few days ago. Jack wanted to clear things up with the Russian Santa so he started his conversation with him. After all, aside for being with the family, Christmas was also a time of forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, North, for shouting at you a few days ago."

North's eyes glowed with awe and happiness. "It's okay, Jack. I was at fault too. I shouldn't have brought that topic to you."

"I'm still hoping for the best for Prim, you know," Jack replied.

"Of course, it's faith that leads us to where we are now, to who we are now. It's that little thing that makes us loved and believed by all the children. Without faith, we'd be blinded by our very presence of just merely existing in this world, with nothing to grab on to." He smiled down on Jack, and the Winter Spirit felt that he was already forgiven.

They joined the other Guardians as well as they headed to the much-awaited splendid feast that the Yetis had prepared for them. The dining hall was filled with Christmas lights and garlands everywhere, even on the edges of the table which tickled their arms each time they rested their elbows there. After a heartwarming meal, Tooth commenced the giving of presents. She prepared gold-threaded tapestries for everyone (each of the Guardian's face for themselves). Bunnymund gave away chocolate eggs which he had designed on the outside. North gave out miniature figurines of each one of them while Sandy told them to wait until nightfall for he'd shower them all with dreamsand to last a month of good dreams. And as for Jack, he created ice gems shaped three-dimensionally into each Guardian's symbol: a square for North, a diamond for Tooth, a triangle for Bunnymund and a circle for Sandy. They all thanked each other for the presents they have received, with North reminding them that Christmas is not just the spirit of receiving presents, but also of sharing the moments of happiness with others.

Whatever Christmas was made to symbolize, Jack thought that he just had the best Christmas ever.


	15. The Flashback of a Memory

Note: Here is a special chapter for all of you!

* * *

A few days after his best Christmas ever, Jack decided to catch a glimpse of the frozen pond of Burgess to visit his past. It was his birthplace as the Spirit of Winter, to be exact. He could still remember the night he died and was given a second chance by the Man in the Moon to live. No matter how hard it was to admit – he would have rather died a peaceful death of old age than fall through the cracks of a pond – he was somehow grateful he was given the power to control snow and ice which served as a compensation for the sad moments of being alone in 300 years.

By the time he knelt on the edge of the pond, there was something else that came to his thoughts: a flash of a girl's wavy auburn hair. It was probably back from his mortal life when he lived in the log cabins of the early colonial America. He closed his eyes and tried to pick up that memory with his sliver of thoughts. As soon as the recollection was more vivid in his mind, he saw what he wanted to see. There was a girl in his old village he had befriended who was two years younger than he was.

This girl, who had done nothing wrong as far as his thoughts could recall, was always taunted upon by the other children in their village. They hit her with sticks and stones, calling her a "weakling" for being sick all the time, and then jeer at her when tears start forming in her eyes. And as unusual as that seemed, it was more unexplainable that he protected her from their bashing.

"J-Jack, d-d-don't…" The little girl tried to push him away. She was positive the bad kids would turn their hatred to him, but he did not care at all if they ever did.

His hands and body shielded her from the other children's sight. He yelled at them to go away and leave the poor girl alone, and since he was the eldest among the children of their village, they had to obey him, unwillingly, for they knew he'd come telling their parents about their misbehavior.

The scene was already clear to him as if it were plucked fresh from his childhood memories: the girl's thirteen-year old self pleading to his fifteen-year old image to let her ride his horse which was a brand new gift from his father. He had been anticipating himself horseback riding all these years which is why he looked forward to his day of entering manhood. She tugged once more on his pants, the farthest she could reach since he was atop his horse which he had recently named Alastair. He shook his head one last time.

"No, silly. You might break your neck if you're not careful enough," he chortled as he tried to explain to her. "I don't want to be held responsible to your parents if something happens to you."

"But wouldn't you catch me if I fall?"

"Slim chance, Ad."

She frowned at his response, but came up with a better idea. "Then let me ride with you! You'll allow that, won't you, Jack?"

He frowned harder than what she did a while ago. "What?"

"Please, Jack? Please oh please oh please?"

He couldn't take it to see her eyes look so persuading and hopeful at the same time. The little girl looked like she needed some fresh air, something that she never experienced after being sick for quite some time.

"Oh all right. But just one ride, you hear me?" After a sigh of defeat at her squeal of joy, he held out his hand to pull her up in the horse's saddle. She brightened up as soon as she sat in front of him, his arms around her as he held the reins of Alastair.

"Adelyn! Don't squirm too much, okay?"

The little girl grinned at him, grateful for granting her wish.

With a tug on the reins, the horse started galloping out in the open field. Soon after, they passed by the meadows filled with hydrangeas, tulips and daisies. The tall wheat grass tickled their legs as they brushed against it. Alastair stomped his feet at the shallow water of the pond and splashed it on his riders, making the two kids wet as they unmounted themselves from the horse and played on the lukewarm water, water lilies and vines watching their every moment.

They dried themselves in a while as the boy fetched an apple from a tree using his dagger. He gave the freshly fallen fruit to the girl who took a bite from it and let Alastair munch on the red rose food as well. It was autumn and so they saw the auburn leaves floating down at them from trees arching at them ten feet high. She pointed up to the sky and as he looked up, he saw an eagle flying, its cawing echoing in the air. She gasped in amazement as she saw a squirrel near the prairie land, attacking another one for a piece of walnut. Her laughter complemented the scenery, and he wondered how often she cast her fears away just for one moment of blissful oblivion.

He swooped down to grab a handful of pansies that were showing off their petals to the blazing sun. He admired them for a while, to make sure there were no ants or insects buzzing inside. Afterwards, he handed them to Adelyn, who in turn inhaled the scent of the mildly dewed flowers. "They're lovely, Jack!'

"Just like you," he smiled at her. "Come, I want to show you something." He placed her back on top of the saddle and followed as they rode on to his favorite place: the edge of the cliff. He used to keep himself in isolation there after a tiring day. It was a place where he found rest and solitude within the scenery of the sunset – yes, the sunset which evoked colors of flaming red and orange but never seemed to burn his skin. Instead, it radiated against his face.

When he brought her there, she admired it the same way the first time he did. She had leaned against his chest while looking at the breathtaking scene before them. After a few more minutes of contemplating in front of the beautiful sunset together, they rode back to the village.

He went down first on his horse and offered to help her to which she happily obliged.

"Thank you, Jack!"

He patted her hair. "Anytime, Ad."

His recollections flashed to another memory. His 7-year old sister was sitting on his lap as he tried to braid her hair, but only ended up with a badly twisted one with strands sticking out. But she didn't care for she was too busy listening to him as he told her of old folklores that he half-made and half-heard from the elders.

"Jack, Jack, how do you think snow appears every winter?"

"I don't know, Lily. Probably the clouds rub themselves together and then snow falls down?"

"Silly Jack! That's a weird thing for clouds to do!"

"Well you never know. They just might punch you in the face when you get too close to them."

"I'd like to think that someone controls the snow and appears only during the winter so that he can play with the other children, but he never tells them he's the one who does it," she added wistfully, her eyes gleaming with wonder.

"Suit yourself."

Adelyn appeared from nowhere, admitting that she overheard their conversation. She offered to fix Lily's misshapen hairstyle, much to Jack's relief. After she had transformed it into a woven pattern, Jack's sister thanked her and left them to show off her beautiful crowning glory. She looked at Jack and adored his love for his own sister, as much as she adored his very image of himself.

"You really do have a weakness for girls."

"Only to those I am close to." He winked at the lass who was quite becoming a lady already.

She felt the bruises on her face vanish as she smiled back at him. She would have chosen to be beaten up once again by those children if this boy were to protect her all the time. Deep inside her, she cared for him, but she never had the chance to tell him so. She had sworn to herself to keep it in secret, for nobody must knew that a boy named Jack had taken her heart away, even after she was married off to another man from the village and had children of her own.

Jack Frost already had the makings of a Guardian, in a way, as he was bound to protect the people he loves.


	16. A Temporary Farewell

Sorry for the late update! This has been sitting in my drafts for weeks. I only had the chance to finish it now. Apparently, the movie has already been out in some countries (in the Philippines, we'd be seeing it this Wednesday) and some spoilers have already been out. But whatever cannons did not match the headcannons in my story, I still hope you'd accept it with a warm heart. After all, we all love Rise of the Guardians .

So yeah, no more extra words, here's the next chapter!

After having another round of his flashbacks, Jack made it up to himself that he shouldn't go looking for his past anymore. This is the present, and the Guardian of Fun knew very well he should be focusing on his current life which includes diverting his attention to Prim. She needed him now more than ever and it seemed to him that all his worries should be left behind to prepare for a better and more promising future. The cold months were almost over: the ice was melting and soon the fun snow days would be gone. Jamie and his friends had been pleading him to extend winter for a bit ("Just a little bit more, Jack!") but despite being a winter spirit, Jack knew he couldn't do anything about it; he couldn't change it as much as he wanted to, because it will alter the cycle of the seasons, and the very last thing he'd want to happen is for Mother Nature to reprimand him.

Unfortunately, he needed to leave for a few months, much to his disappointment and Prim's. He told her he couldn't stand the heat, and if he stayed any longer, the young girl would finally see him as a melting snowman ("Hah, Jack, I knew it, you really are Frosty!"). He wanted to see her have a laugh, maybe even take her with him because she hadn't been out of the house for some time, but he didn't want to have her parents freaking out for a week and going out to the police to report that their daughter has gone missing without a trace. He expected that they wouldn't be pleased to hear from Prim that she had gone to Japan or wherever country that was snowing next. All this distance from her was a lot of sacrifice to handle but Jack had to take it all in. He just wasn't sure if it were the same case for Prim.

"When are you coming back?" She leaned near to him and he could see her warm chocolate brown eyes pleading him not to leave, but his legs were already keen to leave through her window.

"As soon as winter's here. You know, the heat here is like a volcano." He laughed, flipping his staff and balancing it on his shoulders.

She rolled her eyes because she perfectly knew when the snow will be falling down once again. And that would be quite a long time for a mortal. "Oh well, be careful then." She kissed him, and tasted his lips like the last remnants of the dripping snow. She tousled his snow white hair, remembering its soft touch that she wouldn't be feeling for quite some time.

"If you need someone to talk to, Tooth would always be happy to visit you. She could tell me instantly if there's something bugging you. Baby Tooth can reach me anywhere." He mentioned the cute little fairy that he was fond of and the effect of lightening up Prim's heart was almost instant. She was glad to have Tooth for company once in a while. Who knows, maybe they could talk about Jack's past or even his habits while with the Guardians. Or she could even ask her how to create those delicious chocolate recipes from Bunnymund. They could keep a conversation for a whole day and not one would even get bored.

Jack flashed his warm smile at her as if reading her thoughts which was really a fun plan. "Stay safe, Prim."

"You know I will." She rested her chin on her hand, her elbow on the window sill.

Before jumping off the window, he couldn't help but cast a curious look at her. "What are your plans this summer?"

She paused for a while to think about it. What else could she do inside the house? "Reading. As if there's anything else left to do." She stated it as a matter of fact, rolling her eyes once again as if there were an irksome fly before her. She would try her hardest not to get bored and not to miss Jack too much, but she knew there would be times that would make it inevitable not to think of.

Jack still felt worried for leaving her. He knew Jamie, Prim's ever protective younger brother and his best pal, would take his place for the meantime, but there was this anticipating feeling of guilt and responsibility forming inside him. He wanted her to be safe and secured after all.

"You sure you'll be alright?"

"I told you already. Don't mind me. You're the one who needs to be alright, you know, with all the heat here."

"I wish I could take you with me." He felt her warm hand in contrast to his pale icy ones. She complemented him, the missing piece to his puzzling life. Three hundred years (and eighteen) and he only found the one he would completely love just now.

"Nah, I love the flowers blooming here once again."

"So you don't want me?" He cast his innocent look that made Prim melt inside anytime anywhere.

"Eh, of course I do!" Her mind went confused of choosing the right words to correct what she had just said, but Jack laughed it off.

"See you, Prim." With that, he stole another kiss from her as he pushed himself off the window, his back falling first.

Prim's eyes widened with shock (either from the kiss or from Jack's somersault) as she leaned over and saw him laughing as he flew up in the skies, fading into nothingness.


End file.
